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Thursday, November 19, 2015

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England,
about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Amesbury and 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury.
One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring
of standing stones set within earthworks. It is in the middle of the most dense
complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several
hundred burial mounds.

Archaeologists believe it was built anywhere from 3000 BC to
2000 BC. Radiocarbon dating in 2008 suggested that the first stones were raised
between 2400 and 2200 BC, whilst another theory suggests that bluestones may
have been raised at the site as early as 3000 BC.

The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which
constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100
BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World
Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury Henge. It is a national
legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown
and managed by English Heritage, while the surrounding land is owned by the
National Trust.

Archaeological evidence found by the Stonehenge Riverside
Project in 2008 indicates that Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from
its earliest beginnings. The dating of cremated remains found on the site
indicate that deposits contain human bone from as early as 3000 BC, when the
ditch and bank were first dug. Such deposits continued at Stonehenge for at
least another 500 years. The site is a place of religious significance and
pilgrimage in Neo-Druidry.